Great Lakes shippers are particularly unhappy about New York rules that set live-organism limits 100 times tougher for existing ships than those under the international standard. For newly built ships, New York’s standards would be 1,000 times stronger (AP).

Airport manager claims Cravaack ‘absent’ on airline issue

Airport Manager Steve Sievek expressed disappointment with what he saw as the lack of action by Rep. Chip Cravaack, R-Minn., as the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport Commission deals with eventually replacing Delta Airlines (Brainerd Dispatch).

Stalled Vikings stadium bill gets new lease on life

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to revive the Vikings stadium issue. Several lawmakers who support a publicly-subsidized stadium met privately with Gov. Mark Dayton today and said they will present a bill soon that they hope will pass in a special session this year (MPR News).

Parry kicks off race for Congress in Winona

With Mike Parry were about 10 people, a few nibbling eggs and toast while others asked the Republican state senator from Waseca questions about his decision to challenge U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., for the state’s 1st District congressional seat. About 30 others in the dining room listened at times (Winona Daily News).

A year before marriage vote, both sides play defense

A year from now, Minnesotans will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman (MPR News).

A security guard at TCF Bank Stadium is fired for pushing, tripping, and knocking down fans trying to get on the field last Saturday (KSTP).

Mille Lacs walleye numbers fall below expectations

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says recent netting assessments turned up fewer and smaller walleyes than last year. The DNR says the numbers are the second-lowest since monitoring began in 1983 (AP).

Arcadia seeks $24 million for new school

If the measure passes, district taxpayers would see property-tax bills increase the following year by $111 for each $100,000 of home value. Then, for an additional 19 years, residents would pay $244 more in taxes per $100,000 of home value (Winona Daily News).

Brewers’ Cory Provus hired to announce for Twins

Listeners generally have liked Provus everywhere he has gone in a career that started at alma mater Syracuse in 1996. With his deep, smooth voice and descriptive style, he called multiple sports for Alabama-Birmingham before spending two years as a member of the Chicago Cubs broadcast team (Star Tribune).

Franken, Peterson, Conrad and Klobuchar call on American Crystal Sugar to resume negotiations

One day after 90 percent of union workers rejected the most recent contract offer by American Crystal Sugar, members of the region’s congressional delegations are calling for both parties to return to the bargaining table (Minnesota Independent).

State revenues from proposed electronic pull tabs a gamble

Tax revenue from electronic pull tabs appears to have the broadest political support as a public funding source for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. But there’s no guarantee the new devices would bring in the cash state officials expect (MPR News).

As it turns out, the state’s cold climate, geological stability and distance from other major metropolitan centers are all huge potential selling points to companies looking for homes for new data centers (MinnPost).

Bachmann, Kline send letter to Senate to block gay soldiers from using military facilities

Reps. Michele Bachmann and John Kline were among the signers of a letter to the U.S. Senate urging that body to pass an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would prohibit gay members of America’s Armed Forces from using military facilities for marriage ceremonies (Minnesota Independent).

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In order for a bill to become law it has to pass both the House and Senate and be signed by the President Obama. Senator Boxer from California has killed stronger previous ballast water legislation (h.r.2830) over the issue that it would over ride her states rights to stronger legislation. Environmentalist should hold her accountable, to now due the same with this legislation. If she dose not stop any legislation weaker than h.r.2830 would have been, over her states rights, it should implicate that her actions in the presidential election year of 2008 were just a guise to allow for the new commander and chief to delay any action in Congress by creating a purposed military plan and study. The Coast Guard military plan has repeatedly delayed promised action since 2008 despite the recommendation from the study of the National Academy of Science to act. They continue to delay any action despite their purposed plan being weak, and following an international organization of diverse governments and foreign business interest called the IMO. Politicians continue to play a game with ballast water. Former rep Oberstar had it right when he called it all “BS” after Senator Boxer killed h.r.2830, which would have been well under way and had a goal to fix the problem permanently. Ballast water is not about political parties, as they work in tandem to kill any national policy. They do this to continue a path for economic globalization, to supply cheap foreign labor capable of supplying cheap foreign manufactured goods to our largest employers selling foreign made products, regardless of the alleged reasons the different political parties use to stop strong national ballast water legislation.

The last sentence from the following report about ballast water, prepared for Congress in 2009 sums up our politicians stance on cheap foreign manufactured goods quite well, since American manufacturing has declined as a results of cheaper foreign made products and they continue not to act.

“Although estimates of the costs of ballast treatment may be imprecise and vary from vessel to vessel, there is some general agreement on average costs.14 For example, it may cost an estimated $400,000 per vessel for modification of container/bulk vessels to use onshore ballast water treatment facilities at California ports. More generally, the cost of retrofitting vessels to treat

ballast water has been estimated at between $200,000 and $310,000 per vessel for mechanical

treatment and around $300,000 for chemical treatment.15 Most of this expense will be borne by

foreign shipping companies, as the U.S. flag fleet is a small percentage of the global fleet,16 and

likely passed along to consumers of products imported on these ships.”